Tired of Cryotherapy
I saw my dermatologist a few weeks ago. I have a dry spot on my lip that isn't healing. I was offered cryotherapy but declined. I know it works, but I am really tired of the scarring it brings, especially on my lipline. My dermatologist told me I can use Efudex and spot-treat it. I don't look forward to that either, but there is no scarring involved with it.
Have you turned down cryotherapy and opted for a different treatment?
What other options are there? Every six month visit to my dermatologist ends up including cryo-zapping about 10 actinic keratoses. Although way preferable to routine fluoruracil, most end up stinging, bleeding, and oozing for at least two weeks (but, fortunately, no significant scarring).
...I have heard good things about Imiquimod, but my doctor has never prescribed it.
It's difficult to know much about how any of these meds will react with the Covid vaccines--we are still in uncharted territory as far as all things Covid go.
I agree--more treatments certainly seem inevitable. It's a neverending battle.
Please keep us updated on what works for you. Here's hoping your treatments are few and far between!
April, SkinCancer.net, ModeratorWhile both Imiquimod and Fluorouracil are effective at exposing and treating actinic (solar) keratoses, Fluoruracil is considered the "gold treatment" for BCCs, with slightly higher efficacy (), whereas Imiquimod is primarily prescribed as the first treatment of genital warts. Their mode of action - although not fully understood - both work by causing a strong but selective inflammatory response in damaged skin cells.
Fluoruracil is an old chemotherapy drug that has been used for many decades against other types of cancer. It attacks cancer and pre-cancer cells directly,whereas Imiquimod is in a class of medications called immunomodulators that revs up the body's immune system to attack the damaged cells. The result for both is similar: an inflammatory reaction that causes major erythema (reddening) of the upper dermal layers with burning, itching, serous leakage, and outright bleeding, followed by scabbing and peeling of dead tissue. But, the overt Fluoruracil reaction time is up to four times faster than for Imiquimod, so the typical course of treatment with Fluoruracil is 4 weeks versus 16 weeks for Imiquimod. I.e, Fluoruracil is much more intense, but it's over much more quickly.
Half-dozen of one versus 5-1/2 of the other?? ...
I didn't know there were other options. I haven't noticed scarring from cryotherapy. Does the scarring look like a round discoloration in the shape of the cryotherapy application? Scott skincancer.net moderator I am sorry for this. Thank you for making me aware of this. I have had a few cryo treatments and have not noticed changes, but I have also stopped looking at my face for scarring of any kind. I look for lesions now and I am probably just not paying attention to anything else. Scott skincancer.net moderator that's what I was afraid of. Had I known that many years ago, I would have asked for some alternatives and not said yes to cryo every time I saw my dermatologist.
April, SkinCancer.net, Moderator
I was disappointed in cryotherapy as well. The first time my doctor removed my bcc, just below my eyelid using cryo. The result was a white spot + recurrence of the bcc. After that I had a recurrence surgically removed by another doctor, but about a year later I had another recurrence on the other side of the scar. I'm sure the surgeon is good, but he could not remove the tumor completely, he said that the one who did cryo, did it wrong. As I learned recently that doctors are afraid to freeze formations on the skin because of the likely appearance of a defective scar on the patient's face, so the tumors can be removed incompletely. And if the doctors do cryo with the guarantee of removing the cancer cells, then they will have to keep the liquid nitrogen on the skin for a long time and it will always lead to cosmetic defects, which even cosmetics can't fix.
Thanks for the wishes. Alas, the sun has given me yet another "gift". I recently went to the doctor with a complaint of persistent redness in my ear, itching and peeling, and he examined me and told me that I had actinic keratosis. And he offered me cryo and I left right away. I will use other, alternative methods of treatment. Those precancers are just the worst! I don't blame you. Cryo is not for everyone, and we are always our own best advocates. Sending you lots of positive thoughts as you treat! Keep us posted!
April, SkinCancer.net, Moderator
